Book Ends of Destiny
by Col.Foley
Summary: The beginning and the end of Shepard's journey with the SSV Normandy
1. Chapter 1

_An Alliance Shuttlecraft_

"Shuttle one-two-niner this is Arcturus flight control: state your business and intentions." The com sparked to life breaking in on the report Abigail Shepard was trying to read.

She snapped her head up and craned it forward to look into the cock pit. The Alliance pilot moved to touch the central panel opening up the return link, "Alliance Command, this is shuttle one-two-niner, we have crew and supplies for the SSV _Normandy_."

"Uh roger that flight, stand by to transmit codes for boarding."

"Transmitting codes now flight."

_And that is the end of that_, if the codes for some reason didn't work they'd be blown out of the sky, if they did they would be allowed to continue on their merry way.

The young potential first officer on the _Normandy_ hoped for the latter, for obvious reasons. _Though it might be fun to get shot at, see what if the Alliance Pilot is worth what the Alliance is paying him_.

But there was no explosions, no squeal of a target lock, no frantic jabbing at controls and turns that could cause the inertia dampeners to strain to their breaching point. Instead the purly gates opened and the shuttle began to smoothly slide into position.

"You might want to come up here Commander." The pilot offered.

She did so stooping her head below the low hanging entry portal and stepping between the two seats that made up the main console of the cockpit.

Peering out the window as the pilot made a low pass along the wing was her new ship, her heart caught in her throat and her mind whirled, the lighting of the interior docking back twinkled off the black and white hull, it looked drab and dull, but somehow magnificent and deadly all at the same time. The engine pylons and wings swooping forward and jutting out.

But yet no matter what, this ship was now a part of her. For so long she had crawled through dust and dirt, and now she had some place to call home.

"It's small." But the admonishment sounded hollow even to her, coming off as though she were complaining for complaining sake, _and I probably am_.

"Yeah, but she has a lot of bite." The pilot said lovingly, "or, at least so they say."

"I am sure they do Lieutenant, and thanks for the look," She patted him on the back and moved for the passenger compartment.

"_Shuttle this is _Normandy_, you are cleared for airlock 2 on the underside of the hull." _

"Roger that _Normandy_, we read you five by five." The copilot said into her com link.

Abigail settled into her seat and made sure she was secure, the transition could always get a little bumpy. The shuttle shuttered around her as the engines were cut allowing _Normandy_ to 'grab' it and pull it into its tether. She gave it a five count before unfastening herself from her wall mounted jump seat, along with the five other crew members almost simultaneously, and getting up to stretch, rolling her hands above her head dramatically and extending up onto her tip toes.

The procession waited for her to finish so she obliged them, heading for the door, and it parted at her approach. She hesitated as the pressure equalized but finally it did and the inner door also opened up on the _Normandy_ cargo compartment.

Abigail led the procession of the latest complement of marines and technicians down the ramp towards the heart of the _Normandy's_ landing operations. The door closed behind her and she could feel a slight sharp jolt in her feet as the shuttle powered up behind her.

"Lieutenant Commander Shepard permission to come aboard."

"Uh, granted." A young man wearing the uniform of the Alliance Marines waited for her and nodded his head sharply

The commander came up short and arched a red eyebrow, "Problem Private?"

"Uh no ma'am, the navigator is having a problem with the navigation computer and the Galaxy Map interface, we are busy making final preparations and he did not feel the need to come greet you himself."

Abigail smirked wryly, "that is quite alright private, and the ship comes first." The Private's stress dissolved almost instantly. "Because the Captain is due here within the hour."

"Yes ma'am." He stiffened back into attention.

She chuckled, "at ease Private you're doing fine."

"Yes ma'am." He replied bleakly.

Abigail started walking for the elevator at the far end of the hold, the other five members of her shuttle party filling in and going to their standard embarkation. She turned around in the lift looking at the bustle of a ship preparing for launch before the door closed on her, and the floor lurched beneath her.

The elevator opened on the next floor a few seconds later, Abigail walked out of it and turned left, peering around curiously. She saw a man working on a sparking console over to the left and a pathway leading to the Captain's quarters on the farthest left.

She approached the man jogging up to him gingerly.

"Uh, hello." She cleared her throat after a second.

The man turned to her and winced, "uh hello?"

"Commander Shepard," She introduced herself smiling.

"Oh yes ma'am, Lieutenant Alenko ma'am, Kaidan Alenko." He replied saluting. "You must be our first officer?"

"Relax, it's fine, though yes I am the _Normandy's_ new XO." Abigail explained.

"Very well." He said rubbing his forehead.

She hesitated for a second arching up onto the balls of her feet, wanting to continue the conversation. "Is everything alright Lieutenant?"

"No- I mean yes ma'am," He assured.

She arched an eyebrow, "if you say so."

"I do, and I really need to get back to work ma'am, this console will not fix itself."

She nodded, "carry on."

She rounded back around the corner heading for the CIC and the bridge wing of the _Normandy_. Up the stairs and exiting out the port side access to the CIC, taking in the banks of computers and stations, the crew still milling about, and the dark interior like the rest of the ship. Lighting seemed to be at a premium throughout the vessel, and Alliance ships in general, still, she felt an overwhelming sense of comfort and familiarity. _This is home_ she thought. Despite her vocal criticisms of the ship and her size she knew it was an advanced concept that would inform human military progress for generations.

_Finally show the Council just what the human race is made of_

With the thought formed she nodded and made her way into the room brushing by a suddenly rushing noncom, who apologetically smiled continuing her duties. Shepard scanned the room and finally found the person she wanted to see, leaning over by the side where the Galaxy Map and the rest of the central table sort of 'merged' with each other. He was looking at a status report or something, and she waited a second after stepping behind him.

"Ahem," She finally said.

"Yes, yes, what is it?" The balding man replied turning to look at her cross eyed.

"Commander Shepard reporting for duty." She reported stiffening into attention, but did not salute.

The man intently, and rather comically, refocused, his body stiffened, his eyes cleared and focused sharply on the woman in front of him, and just a second later he fired off a salute at her. "Sorry ma'am, I wasn't aware you had come aboard…it's been a mess trying to calibrate all these newfangled systems and make sure the technology woks the way it's supposed to."

She chuckled and waved him off, "it's quite alright, I am not much of a stickler for 'ceremony' either, getting the ship together is our first priority, let the Captain have all the pomp and circumstance."

The man's muscles relaxed just a bit and he took on a posture slightly between 'at ease' and 'attention', "yes ma'am, I'm Navigator Pressly by the way, second officer."

"Abigail Shepard," she replied informally.

He turned back to his work and she joined him leaning her hands along the side of the table and turning to peer at him. "What is the ship's status?"

"We've basically had to rebuild everything from scratch, the initial trial runs on this ship have already been, but now they were doing stress tests and testing everything. So we got stuck with the aftermath, the ship _will_ run to specifications but it's a long haul to get everything back the way it's supposed to in that framework…also…"

"Yes," Abby queried her red eyebrow.

Pressly leaned back and sighed, "And there is something else, today with the latest mission brief the Alliance sent word that a VIP will be sent over along with Captain Anderson…a Turian Spectre kind of VIP."

Abby whistled but crinkled her brow, "That is pretty…wow…but I thought the Turian observation of this ship was over and it was our show to run from here on out?"

"Exactly," Presley agreed, "Something is up, though if I were a betting man I would say he isn't here to observe the ship."

"Hmm," Shepard mused, "well be that as it may for another time…what still needs to be done?"

Pressly sighed again, "weapons need to be loaded, targeting scanners need alignment, the medbay needs stocking, our pilot needs somewhere to go before he drives us crazy with his boredom, and we need the Captain who will be arriving in an hour, and to rewire several electrical components."

Abby nodded, "I'll help with tactical and electrical, I take it you'll be fine up here?"

"Yes ma'am, navigation and Adams is setting up the core and making sure environmental is operating at full efficacy."

"Environmental is down?" Abigail asked.

"No, just we get the occasional…extreme shift in temperature."

"Oh boy," Abigail muttered taking in the sweet spot in the center of Presley's officer tunic.

The hour passed quickly as Abby got to work on the control circuits and wiring a panel behind the _Normandy's_ bulkhead on deck three, stripping down to a tank top and a pair of regulation shorts to try and beat the heat. She and Kaidan fiddled with the console, her not really being an engineer, letting him take the lead and fiddling with the spanner and Omni-tools.

They repeated this process slowly working down to medical, then the cargo hold, and finally engineering. She worked closely with the crew as they went, getting advice, and paying careful attention, she did not want to complicate the situation or blow something up.

Finally with about ten minutes to spare, they were done. She freshened up quickly and joined the crew in the airlock in the Bridge waiting for Anderson's shuttle to dock in the cradle. She wiggled into the spot beside Pressly with Joker and Kaidan on the other side of his shoulder, she was the closest to the airlock.

The collar suddenly _thunked_ and hissed, Shepard waited for a second as the air lock door went from the red locked to the green open.

"Attention on deck!" She shouted coming to attention, snapping her arms at her sides and waiting for Anderson to appear.

The Captain of the _Normandy_ did mere seconds after her orders. His hands behind his back, his head bowed ever so slightly, craning around the corner. He looked relaxed, yet formal. Her hands snapped into a salute before him as he came to the line, he smiled, and returned the salute with a flourish.

"Commander," He greeted with a smile.

"Captain Anderson," She returned the smile and dropped her hand to shake his.

"How fares our ship Commander?" He asked peering around at the CIC.

"At ease," she turned to the crew and fell in line with Anderson, "She is ready to go sir, had to finish putting the final nuts and bolts into place, and get the gum into the system for good luck."

"Gum Commander?" He asked.

"Gum Captain." She repeated snorting.

He shook his head, "Well, so we can take her out?"

"Engineering just reported her good and ready to go." Pressly took that question.

Anderson pondered the options before him for a second, peering around the CIC as if he could see into the universe beyond. Abigail patiently waited for his orders folding her hands behind her back.

Finally she could not hold back any longer, "Your orders sir?"

"Shepard," Anderson said nodding, "Let's see what we can find."

She couldn't help but grin at the prospect, _so this is going to be one of those assignments_, as she marched off, "helm, set a course for the Charon relay, best speed, engine room bring the reactor online, navigation set a course, and bring us around."

Pressly nodded at her.

"I'll be in my cabin Shepard," Anderson spoke, bowing and nodding off as he made his way for the lower deck.

"Aye aye sir," She said staring off after him, but after a moment she decided she could use a coffee, it would be a few minutes till they hit the relay, and then onto Arcturus.

"Take over Pressly."

"Yes ma'am." The navigator replied as she followed the Captain down the hall.

She looked around the bridge one last time, just to see the Turian Spectre enter the CIC looking around curiously.

**AN: **One more brief ME one shot. A final hello and goodbye to these characters, well at least for now, who knows what other adventures I might wrangle up. :P But for now, this is it.


	2. Chapter 2

_SSV Normandy-Deck 3-Memorial Wall_

Abigail Shepard ran her hands over the smooth gray metal of the names on the Memorial Wall. In the decades since she had been in command on the _Normandy_ a few names had been added to the list. Where now the wall had been extended connecting life support bay with the crew quarters. But the center, the core, that was hers.

A thin film of dust had built up along the wall and she rubbed a finger along it and the dusk came off, she checked her finger, and rubbed them together. Looking back at the wall it read _Wrex_.

_Oh Wrex_, she collapsed against the wall laying her hand out on it, splaying her fingers out, her heart suddenly heavy with a wave of memories. She sniffed and rubbed her right hand through her almost white hair.

"Thinking on the ghosts?" A voice spoke behind her.

_What the?_ She whirled around and came face to face with the gray and black bristled face of Joker Moreu. Wearing his typical _Normandy_ SR-2 hat. "Joker!" She greeted excitedly, "what are you doing here?"

"You mean you don't know?" Joker smirked folding his arms under his chest, "I am the ceremony Commander for the _Normandy's_ last tour. Considering I am one of the actual people from the crew still officially in the Alliance, they tapped me to see her into the bone yard."

"Wow, how is that working out for you?" Abigail grunted.

"Pretty good," Joker smiled, "EDI and I have had a lot more time to spend together as a result. Sometimes otherwise her com link to her body gets a little…wonky. But now we get in twenty four hour life."

"How is that working out for you?" Abigail grinned.

"She is fine."

"Shepard."

Abby turned and saw EDI come walking up right on cue.

"It is good to see you again Admiral."

"I'm retired EDI," Shepard smiled.

"No you're not," She smirked, "once in never out."

Abby's eyes narrowed, "Where did you hear that one?"

"Some old vid on the extranet." EDI replied.

"I see," Abby said contemplatively, "I certainly feel retired." She muttered under her breath.

EDI arched her eyebrow giving her a contemplative look.

Abigail cleared her throat trying to change the subject, "I hope the shutdown isn't going to cause you any problems. After all your main frame is in here."

EDI smiled and nodded, "Doctors Lawson, T'soni, and the newest Solus have been working on upgrading my circuitry. Now this body is fully capable of containing my entire matrix without the need for the _Normandy_."

"How does that feel?" Abby smiled wanly.

"It is…" The AI hesitated scrunching up her face… "Unsettling." She admitted finally. "Throughout my existence I have been tied to the _Normandy_, I always thought that if it would die then I would die with it. The idea of living on after the _Normandy_ has been…"

"She is not being scrapped, in fact I hear the new Prime Minister is petitioning to turn her into a museum ship." Abby acknowledged.

"Which I am sure we can get in on that action, right EDI?" Joker ribbed her.

The AI nodded, "It's not going to be the same."

Abigail sighed looking around the dark corridor and back to the memorial, "no, it isn't."

She regarded Joker again, "you know, I am surprised this is still here."

"Well it wasn't," Joker admitted sheepishly scratching at the back of his neck, "Commander Hernandez removed it when she was on tour because it…took up space and wasn't fair to the others who had died serving the Alliance…but I had it put back in when I took charge along with an updated list of everyone who had died in the service of the _Normandy_."

Abby smiled and nodded, "Good job Joker."

"Hey Lola," James's voice broke out, "Way to leave your man behind to pick up all the baggage while you go on ahead."

Abigail whirled around and saw the Lieutenant carrying three duffle bags full of supplies of the Shepard family and what they would need for the last tour of the _Normandy_ before the official decommissioning ceremony.

James came up next to her and Shepard leaned back into him, "Well James," She teased, "That is what your manly muscles are for."

"Right," He grunted looking around the room, "hello everyone, long time no see."

"Hey James." Joker agreed smiling.

Abigail looked around the room, "Who is still coming?"

"We are only missing Cynthia and Ashley, the newest Solus did not really think it was his place since he did not serve on here in the immediate aftermath or the Reaper war."

Abby sighed, "it almost doesn't feel right to go anywhere without a Solus onboard."

"I know," Joker sighed.

Abby frowned, "And I have not seen Cynthia in a while…not since Paul's…funeral…and even then she was distant."

"Paul meant a lot to her." James sighed saying a semi curse in Spanish.

Abigail glanced back at the memorial wall, "you know each day, each year, we lose more people, more names, fewer and fewer of us left, it makes me feel…old."

"Feel like the last one standing Lola?" James remarked ironically.

She sighed and snorted, "Well, just hard to imagine, I always thought that we would be going down together, dying. Just seems hard to believe we both survived the War, Cerberus, the Collectors, the Disciples, Leviathan, we made it through all of that, lucky enough to not take a bullet. But unlucky enough to watch each other get old." She ran her hand along the cool metal surface of the memorial wall and leaned on it, splaying her hand out.

She stayed like that for a few minutes, wallowing in the feelings, not knowing where they were coming from. _Maybe I really am old_.

"Come on Captain, let me introduce you to the bridge crew, and we can get connected while we wait for the others." Joker offered.

She sniffed and nodded, "Sounds good Commander, lead on."

And that is how the last mission on the SSV _Normandy_ started, Shepard was introduced to the crew, slowly walking through each deck up to the CIC and the Bridge. They all looked so young, a woman was now driving the ship, and no one was at communications so Traynor took over her old job. The ship was at the barest of Skeleton crews to accommodate all the VIPs that would be spending the next few weeks together.

Shepard slowly got reacquainted to everyone who could make it, everyone who was still left alive. Ashley, Cynthia, Gardner, a few others.

The biggest shock perhaps was Chakwas not in the medical bay, she passed on a few years back trying to save a group of Salarian colonists from a land slide. But she was not able to keep up with it and fell.

Now a young woman was in her stead, thin, blond, exuberant, but not having the experience of the ages the elder Doctor. In her last years the _Normandy_ was relegated to a training ship, a walking museum, clearly it showed in the age of her new crew to replace the generations of others. Serving on one last tour.

Their last mission was to visit all the hot spots of the war and the journeys throughout the Galaxy, their fame and their infamy. Omega was their first stop, followed by Tuchanka, Tiptree, Virmire, Illos, Feros, Illium, Thessia, the Citadel, Sur'kesh, Palaven, Earth, Mars, the Leviathan Home World, and Rannoch.

On Illium they picked Liara up, the woman looked as young and vibrant as ever, Abby felt a slight spike of jealousy rage through her spine but kept it down. They had speeches and dedications to make at Serrice University and the temple on Thessia, filled with bright eyed maidens looking in and taking in the great Commander Shepard and crew.

On Rannoch they spoke at Tali's memorial to the new members of the Admiralty Board and Quarian Conclave. And they did the same at several other locations, remembering the lost, but promising to forge a brighter future.

On Omega the new leader was skeptical about them, tales of Shepard's exploits and relationships with Aria and Kurl being decades dead and gone. No one knew what they were there for, so they left in a hurry.

Which only left Arcturus, their last stop, before _Normandy_ took up her new mission to educate and remind the future, of the sacrifices people made in securing their very existence and civilization.

…

Abigail Shepard sat in the _Normandy_ mess hall, alone, eating a bowl filled of Oatmeal, and she looked at it skeptically rolling the spoon around in the air in front of her, twirling it between her fingers, bits of mush falling off it as she went. _Well I guess I couldn't expect a luxury liner full of orange juice and bananas on the last trip of a war ship…why waste the resources? _She snorted, _though this is a sign of how things have changed, just 70 odd years ago I was crawling around a street in Los Angeles fighting for scraps of rotten pizza, and now here I am, complaining I do not have fresh Orange Juice…life as an Admiral has softened you Shepard…_she chastised herself playfully.

"I always underestimate the human capacity for sentimentality, it's not something my species is very good at." A familiar voice murmured at her.

"Vakarian," She smiled turning around.

The Turian general made a move around her and sat down on the table across from her, on the bench, awkwardly perching.

"You know you have been scarce on this trip since you came on board."

"Oh you know how it is Shepard, getting old, joints are starting to ache, more interested in…watching…the young ladies rather than spend time…and catching up with Joker."

"Are you blushing Garrus?"

"Hmm? No, nope, not blushing." He denied, Shepard arched her eyebrow, Garrus cleared his throat, "if you really wanted to see me you could have always come visit me you know."

Shepard leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest, "Well you know how it is Vakarian, I may be old but I still know how to enjoy the….uh…._company_, of certain large and muscly comrades."

Garrus blanched and snorted, "Well played."

She giggled.

"_Joker to Commander Shepard, come in Shepard_,"

She frowned "what is it Joker?"

"_We are approaching Arcturus, ten minutes."_

"Very well, I'll be right there." She glanced at Garrus, "time to get this show on the road."

"Fun, fun, fun." Garrus tapped his hand on the table before getting up.

_Arcturus-Docking Bay_

"Abigail Shepard," She said extending her arm to the bearded man in front of her.

"Admiral Chamberlain, nice to meet you Commander Shepard," he replied shaking it.

She frowned holding his arm, "Uh that is Alliance Navy Admiral…retired."

"Sorry ma'am," The Admiral blushed, "force of habit. I was still in school when the Reaper War broke out, grew up listening to stories, read about you in Military History, my thesis was based on yours and Mordin's work on the genophage cure."

"Ah," She smiled lightly, "a fan."

He laughed self-consciously, "Well I hope not ma'am. I hope not indeed. But this way, we have a podium set up in front of the star port for you and anyone else of your compatriots who want to give a speech."

"Thank you Admiral," She nodded gratefully being lead, as the long line of her comrades followed her.

The podium looked out at the _Normandy_ docked behind her, the grand embarkation and arrival room was set up by rows of chairs looking out at the grand spectacle. Shepard behind the noble seal of the Alliance, highlighted by the vessel that made her famous, painted by the grand sweeping design of the Frigate.

Abigail Shepard cleared her throat, organizing her notes and laying them out, she glanced at the _Normandy_ behind her using the ship for inspiration.

She smiled, looking down, then facing the crowd. The young and the old, the recruits and the seasoned veterans, her crew and complete strangers, all of them staring at her.

"You know, the _Normandy_, she was a great vessel. Born out of an idea and a theory. But its designers could never have imagined just how important she would become. Just how insane it even sounded to them.

"For generations the idea of true stealth travel was an impossible dream, wishful thinking…" she smiled "and besides, even if it were possible then what was the point? It was mocked and ridiculed by politicians and generals, admirals and pundits. People only imagined pitched space battles fought between heavy war ships lashing out at each other. Of clever Special Forces ops, stealing ships, hiding behind rocks hurtling towards planets, operations that took months to set up and often failed because we missed our window of opportunity.

"The _Normandy_ was meant to change all that, and they were laughed at. But it was delivered in our darkest hour. Without it we wouldn't have had the ability to hunt down Saren and the Geth. My mission would have been next to impossible, I doubt we would have even survived. Then recruiting my team for the Suicide Mission through the Omega 4. Without the _Normandy_ I would not have been able to sneak into a hundred different locations. But finally, for the Reapers, we were able to get in behind enemy lines. Ignore the blockade of Palaven, hit the Geth Dreadnaught and the Geth base, and take out Cerberus. All of this we did, this we all know because of our history."

She glanced around the room taking a breath, bringing up a smirk. "But there is the funny thing about history. To you, separated by the decades, it looks stale and dusty. It has been sixty years since the commissioning of the SR-2 by Cerberus, sixty years of relative comfort, to forget. Life is still hard, but time adds protection from where we have come from, the reasons."

She breathed, "But that is the point of a museum, that is the point of me, Garrus, James, Ashley, and Miranda. As long as we are still alive, as long the _Normandy_ is still here, we will remember. And we shall never forget."

She smiled feeling the inspiration well up within her, "The _Normandy_ will never be forgotten, it will never die, but its mission is changing. From protector of the future, to guardian of the past. A living will, speaking out from the ages, through war and sacrifice and sweat, to say 'we remember, we will never forget.'"

The crowd erupted in cheers and applause, at least the younger, the older members of the audience sat and smiled, some slow clapped. She smiled, nodded, and dismounted the podium exchanging her place for the Admiral.

…

Later, after all the speeches, and the political grand standing Abigail stood in a small knot towards one corner with James, Ashley, Miranda, and Liara. She took a sip from her large wine glass and eyed the black haired woman up.

"It's not fair."

The woman laughed at her and cocked her head in such a way to make her hair fall to her shoulder, "And just what is not fair?"

"It's been sixty years and you still look like I just barely met you, maybe some laugh lines are finally starting to form." She peered at Miranda closely, and sighed, "at least Liara has an excuse, her being a damned Asari with that damned Asari life span."

"Hey!" Liara broke in.

"Feeling a bit matronly are you Shepard?" Miranda teased.

Ashley snorted, "Who are you kidding? You'd be feeling just as jealous if the roles were reversed, I mean hell I'm a lot more secure in my feelings about myself and it's hard for me to not look at you and feel self-conscious."

"Must be the sun screen I use," Miranda said looking away.

"Right," Shepard murmured.

"Well, I don't care." James said.

"You don't?" Abigail asked.

"Nope, not getting involved in this one." James murmured.

The three woman smiled with each other sharing the moment.

Miranda frowned, "you know it has been a hell of a sixty years."

Abby snorted, "At least it got quiet after we kicked the hell out of the Leviathans, and deposed the Council."

"Well…mostly quiet." Miranda teased, "always something going on."

"Still, not our job anymore, I mean despite me still being in the military." Ashley said.

"And me being the exotic spy watching over the Galaxy, sipping martinis and smoking cigarettes."

Abby snorted, "You reminiscing over your old boss."

"Someone has to," Miranda said darkly.

Abby smiled, "don't worry Miranda, I remember him to."

Sigh, "To the Illusive Man," Miranda raised her glass.

"To all those we have lost," James agreed.

"And to the _Normandy_," Abby finished as they toasted their glasses.

A memorial to the past, a promise to the future, their role and their mission in life was over. But now it would pass to new guardians, who would always remember, the legend of the _Normandy_ and Commander Shepard.


End file.
